by Archanubis » Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:02 pm
- Motto: "Don't take life too seriously or you'll never get out of it alive."
- Weapon: Lightning Rifle
Thought I'd give you guys at least part of Chapter 9, before this thing got lost on page Lost Forever
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Chapter 9 (Part 1)
Skies over the Laurentian Plain
North Atlantic
High above the sea, Phasewing and Novacula’s duel had descended into an all-out brawl. Phasewing leaned backwards, barely dodging Novacula’s rotor saw as he swung it at her and launched a fist at his head. He evaded and took a swipe at her with his free claw. She tried to duck his attack but the tips of his fingers managed to connect, sending sparks into the air. The damage was minor – he barely left scratches on her finish – but the contact alone was enough to send her into a rage. She kicked at him furiously, with several of her blows connecting despite his efforts to block them while he looked to strike back. Once he sensed an opening, he punched her in the face.
The pair had been engaged their aerial furball for several cycles and throughout they traded blows, shots, and insults at each other. Phasewing hadn’t even gotten an opportunity to recover Subsonika’s shattered body; Novacula had been locked on her like a terrier on a chew toy since taking her comrade out. When they weren’t grappling with each other, they were maneuvering wildly in the sky, trying to gain an advantage over each other, Phasewing using her speed, Novacula his agility.
The pair broke apart, retreated a short distance, and drew their weapons. Novacula got off the first shots, blasting away with his Gatling. Phasewing managed to evade and fired her rifle at him, but he managed to dodge the blasts. The two continued to shoot and evade for a couple, with most of their shots flying wild, although a few managed to connect.
Novacula suddenly and inexplicably transformed to his helicopter mode and broke off the fight. Phasewing was taken aback for a moment, wondering why he’d just taken off like that. While he was transforming, though, she had caught a glimpse of disgust in his expression, suggesting that he wasn’t withdrawing from the fight by choice.
“Oh no, you’re not getting off that easy!” Phasewing shouted after him. She transformed into her Osprey aircraft form and raced after him. Novacula had good head start, but her aircraft form was considerably faster than his helicopter mode and she closed the distance quickly. As she bore down on him, she armed her weapons and tried to get a lock on him using her radar and IR systems, but his stealthy construction made it difficult for her to get an accurate reading. She grunted in exasperation; she’d have to get very close to him, practically point-blank range, if her weapons were to have a chance to find their mark.
Just as she was about in position to send a rocket up his exhaust when Novacula either slammed on his brakes or shifted into reverse, because he appeared to come to an abrupt halt right in front of her. Swearing, Phasewing pulled up to avoid a collision, narrowly missing the arc of his rotor blades. Realizing quickly that he was in perfect position to send a missile up her exhaust vent, she transformed, drew her rifle and turned to face him in a rapid, fluid motion.
Novacula, however, had completely disappeared.
Phasewing searched the air around her frantically, expecting an attack to come at any moment, from any direction. It never came; it was like he had simply vanished, but she knew he was still in the area; her long range scanners were still being jammed.
‘I know that slagging piece of scrap has stealth skin,’ Phasewing thought, ‘but I don’t recall a cloaking device being part of his arsenal.’
“Now where did he run off too?” she asked herself, still scanning the area. She decided to descend and put the ocean to her back. The move decrease the area she would have to scan for him and cut off one of his avenues of attack. The plan did have one element of risk to it, especially if Windracer and the others had been terminated, but there was little else she could do at the moment. At least she’d have a chance to check on Subsonika.
As she edged closer to the ocean, Phasewing caught site of several objects bobbing on the water’s surface. With her sensors still out of commission, she couldn’t tell who or what they were and powered up her weapon array. As she drew closer, she began to recognize details and thought she recognized them, but remained cautious. She sighed in relief when she saw it was the rest of her team.
Windracer, in beast form and standing on Alcatraz’s massive shoulder, shook herself dry and took to the air to join Phasewing. Hovering a few meters above waves, she said, “Phasewing, have you called for reinforcements?”
“Negative,” Phasewing replied. “We can’t; the Decepticons have hosed up all the communication frequencies. Subsonika and I were also attacked almost as soon as we broke the surface.”
“Explains why he’s laying down on the job,” Windracer said wryly, glancing towards where the Autobot jet bobbled face down on the surface. She saw Alcatraz swimming over to recover him.
“That and the fact that Novacula tore his cranium wide open,” Phasewing commented.
Windracer swung her head around, optics wide. “Novacula?” she repeated. “Are you sure about that?”
“Well, unless you know another Decepticon who flies around with a cancelled stealth helicopter as his alternate form.”
Windracer scowled. ‘So there is a member of the Eisen Dragoon on Earth. I’ll have Vector Maximus eating his cannons when I make my report.’ She’d concern herself with that later. She inquired, “Where is he now?”
“He’s around here somewhere,” Phasewing groused. “I lost track of him just before I rendezvoused with you, but someone’s got to be hosing up my equipment. I’d also bet my energon rations that he’s not the only other ‘con in the skies. Speaking of other Decepticons, what happened to your attacker?”
“It disappeared,” Windracer said. “Made a pass, swam into the murky blue yonder and never came back. I have a sneaking suspicion that someone called it off.”
“Same with Novacula; he just ran off. He didn’t look happy about it, judging by the expression I saw on his faceplate before he transformed.”
Alcatraz looked up at the others. “You don’t suppose those two were distracting us until the Decepticons got what they wanted, do you?”
“Yes and no,” Windracer said. “Novacula and his undersea ally were obviously holding us off until another team finished what they needed to do. But if they’ve taken what they were after, then our long range scanners and communications would have cleared up by now. The Decepticons are still here, somewhere.”
Before anyone could say anything, they heard the sound of waves crashing a short distance behind them. Windracer turned and saw a gray and white colored V-shaped object rising from the water about a kilometer away from her team. At first, she thought it was the flukes of a whale, but then noticed it was the wrong shape entirely and was going up, not down as a real tail would. Moments later, a gray hump broke the surface several meters in front of the tail, like an island rising from the depths. The mound expanded and grew steadily until it was so large that it had connected with the “flukes” behind it. When a second, smaller hill broke the surface in front of the first, Windracer realized what she was looking at.
Phasewing, who was also watching, said in nervous awe, “Primus, that’s a big sub.”
“That’s not a submarine,” Windracer stated flatly. “That’s a starship.”
“I seriously hope you’re kidding,” Alcatraz said, his voice quivering slightly. “’Cause that think looks like it’s bigger than Fortress Maximus and Metroplex combined!”
“I wish I was kidding,” Windracer said glumly, watching as the bow and what looked to be the roots of a set of wings emerged. “And judging by an emblem I see emblazoned on its prow – it’s a Decepticon vessel.”
“Primus in the Allspark!” Phasewing swore. “So that’s what they’ve been trying to keep away from us! How in the Infernal Pit did the Decepticons build something that massive so quickly?”
Windracer shook her head. “I don’t think they built it; at least, not here. Judging by the amount of rust that’s falling off the hull, I think that that ship was recovered from the bottom of the ocean.” She growled irritably, recalling Vector Maximus’s earlier comments to her: “We have no recorded instance of the Decepticons carrying out an undersea operation below five hundred meters.” Windracer curled her hands into fists, seething; if they survived this encounter, she was going to wring Vector’s neck bracing until the seams popped.
As she scanned the hull, Windracer could see the ship was covered from stem to stern with weapon emplacements, but it didn’t look as if they were operational. “No sign the weapon systems have been activated. That’s odd, even for Decepticons.”
“Perhaps they’re not functional,” Alcatraz offered.
“That would be my guess,” Phasewing said. Pointing ahead of her, she added, “’Cause look who just showed up.”
Windracer looked and saw a Comanche helicopter flying slowly over the ship’s hull. It had to be Novacula and she could see a black fighter jet and two VTOL aircraft with him, circling the sky like vultures over a carcass, no doubt keeping watch over their recovered vessel.
Windracer was trying to think of a plan when she caught movement out of the corner of her optic. She looked over and saw a hatch open on the side of the hull and a pair of Decepticons climb out. The first to step out was a large, bulky looking, red-colored mechanical tyrannosaur with a long, swept back pike in the center of its forehead and a pair of massive shields on its back. The other was a large, white-lavender colored mechanoid bearing a large black pack and a pair of triple-bladed devices on its back.
Windracer recognized them both. “Slag!”
Phasewing turned towards her. “What is it?”
Indicating towards the ship, Windracer answered, “Trouble, with capitals D and N.”
Phasewing looked over, saw the new Decepticons, and her optics went wide. “Dynabreaker’s here?! Oh, frag, there goes the neighborhood.”
“It’s not so much her that I’m worried about,” Windracer said. “Her companion is Northclaw and from what I’ve heard, he’s not someone you take lightly.”
Phasewing studied the white Decepticon a moment. “He certainly looks like he could give a Dinobot a run for its money. Doesn’t look like he carries much in the way of long-range weaponry, though.”
Windracer hardly heard her, was again thinking back to her conversation with Vector Maximus. He’d been so convinced that if a member of the Eisen Dragoons was on Earth, it wouldn’t be one of their leaders and Dynamax wouldn’t involve them in anything important . The proof otherwise was currently standing right in front of her.
‘Forget wringing his neck, if I’m still functional when we get back, I’m going to tear Maximus’s spark chamber right out of his laser core!’
“Windracer,” Alcatraz called, snapping her out of her thoughts. “That thing’s still rising. You got any plans?”
She turned and saw that Alcatraz was correct; the ship’s keel was beginning to lift clear of the ocean. She had to act fast; if the Decepticons managed to get that ship off the planet, they’d undoubtedly use it against the Autobots one it had been repaired and refurbished. She thought quickly.
“’Traz, take Deepdive and Subsonika and head for the nearest outpost as fast as possible. Once you’re clear of the jamming zone, send a message requesting reinforcements; make sure you explain the situation so that even Vector Maximus understands the urgency.”
“Understood,” Alcatraz said. “What about you and the others?”
“Phasewing, WarTrack and I will try to hold their attention for as long as possible, maybe even disable the ship’s engines.” Windracer replied. “Hopefully we can hold them here long enough for the reinforcements to get here.”
“That may be an impossible task, Windy,” Phasewing said. “There are three of us against six of them, and that’s the ones we can see. There’s no telling how many more are inside or on the other side of the hull.”
“We don’t have much of a choice,” Windracer said gloomily. “We can’t just simply let the Decepticons get away. I suspect our comrades have already detected this ship’s presence – it’s too big to miss – and we need to give them as much time as we can to get here. We also need to give Alcatraz time to contact them and light a fire under their skid plates.”
Phasewing nodded, staring sullenly at the Decepticons. She didn’t like the odds but was resigned to her fate. “So what do you want to do?”
“I’m going to make a low level strafing run at Northclaw and Dynabreaker,” Windracer said. “If I’m lucky, I might be able to take one or both out; at the very least, I might be able to shake them up a bit. Phasewing, you’ll watch my back and keep those Decepticon flyers off my tail. WarTrack, you’re ground support.”
“Maybe I should take the strafing run,” Phasewing suggested. “My speed’s superior to yours…”
“Which is why I need you to watch my back,” Windracer said. “You’re considerably faster than those VTOLs and more maneuverable than that jet, thus better suited to support me than I am you. I’ll join you once I’m done.” Phasewing only nodded. Windracer turned to Alcatraz and WarTrack, saying, “Everyone ready?”
“What we doin’ again?” WarTrack asked.
Windracer groaned and tried to think of how to explain his orders in terms he could understand. Phasewing interceded. “You see the big gray lump out there?” she asked, pointing
“Uh-huh,” WarTrack nodded.
“Run towards it like Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner and beat up any Decepticons who get in your way.”
WarTrack’s optics seemed to brighten. “Okay!” he said eagerly.
“You all have your orders now,” Windracer said. “Now MOVE!”
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As her team dispersed, Windracer flew towards the Decepticon ship at top speed, skimming just decimeters above the ocean waves. She glanced up at the sky, an attack from above at any moment. Phasewing had been correct about one thing; in her dragon form, Windracer wasn’t nearly as fast as the aerial Decepticons and flying in a straight line like she was made her a fairly tempting target. She prayed that Phasewing could keep those buzzards away from her so she could complete her strafing run. She glanced down at the water below, hoping that their old undersea tormentor wasn’t swimming nearby.
Northclaw and Dynabreaker caught sight of her as she flew at them and distanced themselves from each other in a clear attempt to catch her in a crossfire. Artillery shells and lasers began whizzing by her; she could hear and feel the flak exploding around her. She kept moving, pumping her wings hard, trying to get just a little more speed from them. She altered her course slightly so that she was aimed towards Dynabreaker. She knew it was a risky choice, but she figured that Dynamax’s progeny was a comparatively easier opponent than Northclaw.
As she closed the distance, Windracer could see the weapon pods on Dynabreaker’s hips blasting away wildly and could feel herself shaking from the concussive force of exploding shells and rockets. She also could see violet beams zipping dangerously by her face; those undoubtedly originated from whatever weaponry Northclaw carried. Despite the fear welling up inside her abdomen, she stayed her course, praying that she didn’t fall victim to the “Golden BB.”
Windracer was just about in Dynabreaker’s face, ready to open fire, when the Decepticon suddenly ducked, taking her by surprise. She saw a glint of silver before she heard the shrieking of metal being ripped apart, followed by a sensation that she had suddenly become a few kilos lighter. Noticing the ship’s superstructure coming up fast, she tried to gain altitude to avoid it, received no response and careened head first into the hull, crumpling to the deck.
Dynabreaker turned towards the dazed Autobot, tucking a pair of long serrated blades behind the massive shields on her back. She had deployed the blades at the same time she dodged the Autobot’s attack, positioning them like an inverted V. As Windracer passed overhead, her outstretched wings had been shorn off and now lay crumpled at Dynabreaker’s feet.
Windracer staggered to her feet, shaking off her stupor, planning a withdrawal, even if she had to fight her way out. She knew that without her wing she was at a serious disadvantage and was no match for a foe who possessed physically superior strength. Before she could move, something struck her side and pierced her armor. She glanced over to see a massive claw dug into her flank and saw that it was connected to a thick metal cable; one of Dynabreaker’s grappling claws. The large caps over Dynabreaker’s arm joints began to rotate, the cable went taut and Windracer was dragged towards her like a hooked fish. Windracer struggled to free herself, frantically clawing the deck, with negligible results. Thinking quickly, she bit into the line and chewed vigorously; after about four or five good bites the cable snapped and whipped violently back Dynabreaker with a loud, sinister zipping sound. Dynabreaker managed to dodge it while Windracer pulled out the severed claw, tossed it aside and made a run for the water. Dynabreaker charged after her, using the massive thrusters on her back and heals to propel herself quickly and easily caught up to the fleeing Autobot. Windracer had little time to react as the Decepticon clamped her jaws tightly around her neck with a sickening crunch.
Windracer roared in pain and desperately clawed at Dynabreaker in an effort to break free, but the tyrannosaur’s grip only tightened. Windracer switched tactics and began beating her attacker with the spiked mace at the end of her tail. Sparks and metal shrapnel flew from Dynabreaker’s armor with every blow, but she still wouldn’t let go. Windracer refused to relent and kept pounding away until she finally struck Dynabreaker in the face, cracking the transparent shield around her optical lens. The jaws released instantly as Dynabreaker roared out and backed away, but before Windracer could capitalize on her freedom, Dynabreaker’s large clawed foot stomped down on her. The Autobot lashed out with her tail again but the Decepticon was ready and caught it in her teeth. Windracer shrieked in pain as Dynabreaker held her down with her foot and violently tore her tail from its base.
Windracer acted instinctively. Snapping her head around, she opened her mouth and expelled a jet of white hot flame into Dynabreaker’s face. Dynabreaker screamed in rage and pain and withdrew a short distance; Windracer’s severed tail dropping from her jaws. Windracer attempted to stand up but one of her legs collapsed under her. Glancing at her limb, she noticed that it had been completely crushed, no doubt because Dynabreaker had been standing on it. She tried to transform, but none of her systems would respond; a quick self-diagnostic revealed that her transformation cog had been damaged.
‘Well,’ Windracer thought to herself, ‘I least I can say I went down fighting.’ She heard a sound and turned her head to see Dynabreaker completing her own conversion to robot mode. The Decepticon advanced rapidly on her helpless opponent, the expression on her face twisted in intense rage. Pulling her intact arm back, Dynabreaker growled, “You die now!” and practically launched her fist at her victim’s head. The blow crushed through Windracer’s cranium, sending shards of metal scattering in all directions and completely shattering her optical lenses. The last thing Windracer remembered was the darkness taking her over.
OUCH.
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
